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Premier Cup to Sky Field

Fownes-trained gelding gives Newgate Farm’s Deep Field his tenth stakes winner 


In a phenomenal show of strength crowned by victories in the final two Group races of the Hong Kong season, Caspar Fownes has taken a decisive upper hand in the battle with John Size for the 2020/21 trainers’ championship with a quintet at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Bidding for a fourth title, Fownes leads 11-time champion Size 74-67 with seven meetings left in the current term after his imposing 12-horse string dominated with five victories and two seconds across ten races.

Sky Field’s (4 g ex Laravissante by O’Reilly) rasping finish in The Premier Cup (Gr 3, 1400m) validated Fownes’ faith in the Deep Field (Northern Meteor) gelding and provided Blake Shinn with a massive thrill, leaving Fownes to plot a possible course to December’s 2021 Hong Kong International Races.

The victory also handed his Newgate Farm-based sire Deep Field with his tenth stakes winner. 

“I’ve told you how good he is and it was wonderful to see Blake get the result with him. He settled beautifully for Blake last start and again today over an extra furlong he settled really well. In the run ‘I said ‘I know what he can do’. The best is yet to come with him, so it’s wonderful,” Fownes said.

Shinn enjoyed a trouble-free trip before unleashing the gelding.

“Caspar just emphasised to switch the horse off and use his best asset, which is his turn of foot. The horse did everything right,” the Melbourne Cup-winning jockey said.

“When I produced him, he picked them up effortlessly and ran right through the line. It’s great because we’ve all believed in this horse’s ability and he stood up and beat a quality field. It’s just fantastic to win a Group race here in Hong Kong.”

Describing Sky Field’s acceleration as “electric”, Shinn said the chestnut “feels like a genuine Group 1 horse and he’s been placed in the sprint two runs ago at the highest level in Hong Kong and from the first time I got on him, I thought he was a Group 1 horse.

“Even though he didn’t win a Group 1 today, I’m sure next preparation he’s only going to flourish and become a really big force in the coming season,” the Australian said.

“To win this race here today for Caspar, who’s been a supporter from day one, is very meaningful. It’s Caspar’s day today.”

Fownes said Sky Darci will now be spelled.

“He was great, he’s had a huge season and it was a great effort to come back again at the end of the year. You know how hot it is and we’ve kept them up all season,” he said.

Bought for NZ$175,000 at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2018 from the draft of Trelawney Stud, Sky Field has now won five times and placed another five times in 14 career starts, with his earnings now totalling over $1.5 million. 

Sky Field is one of five winners out of winning O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Laravissante and he becomes her first stakes winner. His second dam is Mer Du Sud (Bluebird) who produced nine winners headed by Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) winner The Duke (Danehill). 

After producing a filly by Pariah (Redoute’s Choice) last year, Laravissante was covered again by Deep Field. 

Deep Field’s stakes winners include Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) winner Portland Sky and the Group 2 winners Cosmic Force, Dig Deep, Xilong and Quantum Mechanic. Sky Field is the first stakes winner in Hong Kong for his sire while the son of Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago) has sired another ten winners in the enclave. 

He will stand for a career high fee of $88,000 (inc GST) this spring, up from $55,000 (inc GST) last year when he covered a book of 200 mares.


Racing and Sports



Sha Tin Sunday, 20th June 2021

6f211y TURF GOOD FIRM
HKD $3,500,000

The Premier Cup (G3)

HKD $3,500,000
Age: 3yo and up Type: OPEN
6f211y TURF GOOD FIRM
FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 5. SKY FIELD (AUS) 4yo G
DEEP FIELD (AUS) - LARAVISSANTE (NZ)
BLAKE SHINN
CASPAR FOWNES
$9
56.5kg
Kwan Shiu Man, Jessica Kwan Mun Hang & Jeffrey Kwan Chun Ming

Sales Information

2nd 2. SKY DARCI (NZ) 4yo G
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - STRICTLY MATERNAL (NZ)
JOAO MOREIRA
CASPAR FOWNES
$3
57kg
Jessica Kwan Mun Hang

Sales Information

3rd 3. CHAMPION'S WAY (AUS) 5yo G
HINCHINBROOK (AUS) - GRETA'S YARN (AUS)
KARIS TEETAN
JOHN SIZE
$10
56.5kg
Dr & Mrs Arthur Leung, Elaine Leung And Angela Leung

Sales Information

4th 11. LUCKY PATCH (NZ) 4yo G
EL ROCA (AUS) - GOULD (AUS)
MATTHEW POON
K W LUI
$5
51.5kg

Sales Information

5th 6. RATTAN (NZ) 7yo G
Savabeel (AUS) - GRAND PRINCESS (AUS)
CHAD SCHOFIELD
R GIBSON
$26
56kg

Sales Information

6th 9. BUDDIES (AUS) 5yo G
SO YOU THINK (NZ) - GLADWELL (AUS)
ZAC PURTON
A S CRUZ
$17
55kg

Sales Information

7th 1. WANDERIN APACHE (NZ) 5yo G
POWER (GB) - WANDEROV (NZ)
NEIL CALLAN
P F YIU
$13
60.5kg
8th 7. VOYAGE WARRIOR (AUS) 5yo G
DECLARATION OF WAR (USA) - CHALEUR (NZ)
HARRY BENTLEY
P F YIU
$61
56kg

Sales Information

9th 10. NOT USUAL TALENT (NZ) 6yo G
ZACINTO (GB) - COMPACT PUSSYCAT (NZ)
MATTHEW CHADWICK
T P YUNG
$10
52.5kg

Sales Information

10th 4. JOLLY BANNER (AUS) 9yo G
LONHRO (AUS) - VALKYRIE DIVA (AUS)
A HAMELIN
P F YIU
$51
56.5kg

Sales Information

11th 8. HEALTHY HAPPY (AUS) 4yo G
ZOUSTAR (AUS) - LADY LAKSHMI (AUS)
ALEX BADEL
F C LOR
$6
55.5kg

Sales Information

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